Ronald Reagan

Following his departure from office, says John Patrick Diggins in this re-evaluation of the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan was marginalised thanks to liberal biases that dominate the teaching of American history. Yet Reagan, like Lincoln (who was also attacked for decades after his death), deserves to be regarded as one of America's three or four greatest presidents. Reagan was more active a president and more sophisticated than he appeared at the time. His negotiations with Gorbachev and his opposition to foreign interventions demonstrate that he was not a rigid hawk. And, in his distrust of big government he was the most open-minded libertarian American president, combining a reverence for America's traditions with a faith in the opportunities of the future. This is a revealing portrait of great character that shows Reagan to be an exemplar of the truest conservative values.